7 All-Stars the Orlando Magic painfully passed on in the NBA Draft
By Elaine Blum
3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
In 2018, the Magic selected Mo Bamba with the sixth overall pick, choosing another long rim-protector. The pick did not pan out, however, as Bamba never produced much for the Magic and they eventually traded him to the Lakers.
Missing out on a lottery pick always hurts, but knowing that you passed on one of the bigger names in the game right now makes it hurt even more. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went 11th in the 2018 draft, just five picks after the Magic selected Bamba.
To be fair, at the time very few people envisioned Gilgeous-Alexander to be a legitimate MVP candidate. Otherwise, the Clippers would not have traded him for Paul George. Still, the Magic passed on a franchise guard for someone who is not even seeing a lot of playing time at this point of his career.
Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander already averaged double-digits as a rookie and quickly grew into a prolific scorer, facilitator, and on-ball defender. He averaged around 30 points per game over the last two regular seasons, made the two last All-Star games, and is currently leading the youngest playoff team to a potential Western Conference Finals trip. While he did not win the MVP award this year, he will be in the mix for years to come.